Confirmed: Jalen Ross Leaving EMU

I’ve held off on reporting this because the only information I have been aware of is Jeff Goodman’s transfer list, but I now have it from a concrete source that Jalen Ross indeed is transferring from EMU.

Ross was Eastern’s starting point guard in 2012-2013, thrown into a difficult position with Darrell Lampley graduating and Raven Lee missing the season with an injury. He did a credible job, and most EMU fans thought highly of Ross heading into this season.

Ross began the year as the primary backup for Mike Talley. This demotion had to sting a bit, but Ross was only a sophomore and the future still looked pretty bright for him. As the season went on, Ross’s minutes dropped with the emergence of Darell Combs, as well as the stellar play of Mike Talley. When he did play, Ross looked out of sync a lot of the time. By the end of the season, Murphy had Ross far down the bench.

I still think Ross has a pretty high ceiling. He was never allowed to develop naturally here, given a year off to learn a new system — as well as work on his game — Ross could contribute elsewhere in 2015-2016. I wish him nothing but the best.

With the loss of Darell Combs, EMU is down two guards heading into next season. The backcourt now looks a lot thinner. Raven Lee and Mike Talley are going to be called on for big minutes next year. They are certainly capable, but losing players like Ross and Combs makes EMU very vulnerable to injury.

The biggest question for next year remains in the frontcourt. With Ross leaving, maybe Murphy can bring in another big man and solidify the center position.